A knifeman who stabbed his housemate in the torso during a row about noise has walked free from court.
A row erupted when Corey McArdle and others arrived in the early hours of the morning at the home he shared with the victim, who was babysitting a child in the property at the time. Newcastle Crown Court heard when the trouble turned violent McArdle picked up a knife and the men ended up fighting in the garden.
Mairi Clancy, prosecuting, told the court: “After the fight finished the complainant realised his T-shirt started to feel wet and he started to feel weak. He lifted his T-shirt and felt immediate pain and was struggling to breathe.
“It became apparent to him at that point he had been stabbed in the torso.” The court heard the victim rang an ambulance for himself and was taken to hospital while McArdle disposed of the knife he had used down a drain, where it was later found by police.
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The injured man had a single stab wound to his torso, which caused a laceration to his liver and was treated with glue. McArdle, 21 of Peterborough Close, Bensham, Gateshead, denied unlawful wounding but was convicted by a jury after a trial.
Judge Stephen Earl said McArdle has spent an “amazingly inordinate” amount of time abiding by the curfew and half of that would come off any immediate custodial sentence. McArdle was sentenced to 15 months suspended for two years with rehabilitation requirements, 150 hours unpaid work and two year restraining order.
Tony Cornberg, defending, said McArdle, who had claimed he was acting in self defence during the “noise” row, was just 18 at the time and has been in no trouble before or since. Mr Cornberg said McArdle’s life has been “on hold” while he has spent 808 days on an electronic curfew waiting for the case to conclude but has ambitions to go to college and set up a business.
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